Middle East Needs Liberation, War Reparations and Justice – Not Western ‘Democracy’

It is difficult to think of an appropriate title that would best describe a man who personally profits from a pre-emptive (unprovoked) war. On the basis of the number of victims, he could be described as a serial killer or a mass murderer or a deranged Fascist. Taking a metaphorical view, he could be considered like a vulture or a vampire, feeding on the flesh and blood of the victims. Alternatively he could be thought of as a war merchant and/or a modern day shylock because he profited handsomely from the war, which was largely initiated by the Jewish cabal (neo-cons). The man in question is the current US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Many would prefer to attribute the title of shylock to Paul Wolfwitz. Who is a Jew, passionately pro-Israel, and like the other “chicken hawks” he likes to beat his war drums from a secured bunker. True to his nature, he made a hasty retreat from Iraq, when he was showered with missiles rather than rose petals, which he predicted prior to the war. The Fox channel was thought to have reported at the time a shortage of rose petals, due to the fact that Saddam Bin Laden disposed some of his WMD arsenal by destroying the infidel rose plants. Therefore, the vast majority of the ordinary Iraqis remained at home. President Plastic Turkey Bush, “Foot in Mouth” Donald Rumsfeld with his “unknowns” and Saint Tony Blair with his ‘divine’ revelation, followed the example of Paul Wolfwitz, as they sneaked in and! out of Iraq.

Whatever title is chosen, it would be safe to say Dick Cheney does not have the moral authority to lecture others about democracy. There are also couple of other points to consider. His former company Halliburton has been awarded the largest contract to date in Iraq. Could this have any possible connection with the regular and substantial party ‘donations’ made by Halliburton? In addition Dick Cheney got 33 Million dollars just before he took up his post as Vice-President. Say no more. Actions speak louder then words. Thus, it is dollars and not the votes that get represented.

To the rest of the world, Western ‘democracies’ looks like a place where you can protest and shout to your hearts content, but the government does anything it likes, driven by Corporate interests. His boss, the President, was fraudulently elected. The subsequent offer by Robert Mugabe President of Zimbabwe, to monitor and verify the election process was turned down. No one is interested to listen to a black man or a woman unless it is the likes of Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice or Kofi Anan. The point being, it is difficult to preach what is not being practiced.

Dick Cheney stated in Davos, Switzerland:

"We must confront the ideologies of violence at the source, by promoting democracy throughout the greater Middle East and beyond,"

Does this mean that US led ‘confrontation’ is not violent despite the use of devastating military force? Or is Dick Cheney implying that the US is defending itself from the Muslim military bases that are dotted around the American hemisphere? What is even more baffling is that, he subsequently advocated imposing ‘democracy’ through the use of force, should diplomacy fail! It even shocked the Finish MP. Can anyone reconcile the forceful imposition of ‘democracy’ with its core value as the rule of the free masses?

He attributed the teachings of Islam and the absence of Western ‘democracy’ as being the primary reasons for the anger and resentment. As he states:

"Democracies do not breed the anger and the radicalism that drag down whole societies and export violence"

The reality on the ground is the continuous subjugation and genocide in return for oil, market penetration, ideological fanaticism and other corporate interests. Dick Cheney failed to account for the on going extermination of the Palestinians through their proxy Israel. What about the gratuitous massacre on the “road to Basra” during the first gulf war? Half a million Iraqi children became the victim of the brutal economic sanction and Depleted Uranium over the last decade. What about the deliberate bombing of civilian installation causing immense sufferings under the pretext of imposing the ‘no-fly zone’, which had no UN mandate. These are just a small sample of some the reasons behind the hate and anger. Which has no relation to the teachings of Islam. Otherwise the entire Muslim world at all periods of history would have exhibited such anger and resentment.

The issue of exporting violence, no Arab/Muslim troops were massing near the US borders, rather it is the US that has exported its troops and initiated an unprovoked attack on Iraq. If democratic societies are so peaceful why is that they are the largest producer and exporter of these lethal weapons and has the best track record for using them. Hence, the claim by Dick Cheney that Middle East is inherently violent is puzzling. It simply looks like Genghis Khan delivering a sermon about non-violence to the residents of Baghdad after pillaging the entire city!

As for radicalism, it was not the Middle East that produced the doctrines of the Nazis (Adolf Hitler), the Fascists (Mussolini) and the Communists (Joseph Stalin). These emanated from the heart of democratic Europe. The issue of Muslim fundamentalism or the fundamentalism of the US is simply a matter of perspective.

So, what does Dick Cheney mean by ‘democracy’? The widely accepted view that it is simply a rule of the free masses as they decide on a government through the process of election. Therefore, is Dick Cheney seriously advocating that the ordinary Arabs on the street should decide the fate of their countries? Does this also mean if the Iraqis or any of the Arab/Muslim countries voted on a government that called for the implementation of the Sharia Laws, the US would regard it as a democracy? Unlikely, their un-stated view of democracy is simply a pro-US or a pro-Western government, regardless of its popularity.

The US track record is an indictment of this hypocrisy. Had the early signs in Iraq indicated a desire for Western ‘democracy’ rather than an Islamic orientated government; the elections would not have been frozen. When the Turkish parliament voted to prevent the US armies entering Iraq from its soil, Donald Rumsfeld appealed to the Turkish army to intervene. Rumsfeld and the rest of the cronies in the US state department then had the chutzpah to issue threats to enforce democracy. Going back even further the Turkish army intervened when pro-Islamic party won the election. Similarly, the Algerian government suspended the election when the pro-Islamic party was poised to win. So why was there was no outcry from the democratic enthusiasts to restore democracy at that time? Iran likewise would not be accepted as a democracy regardless of its support until the Westernised secular e! lites emerges as a dominant voice.

In seeking to solve the Middle East problem, Dick Cheney should be asking the Arabs for the answers instead of exporting his solutions through violence, US fundamentalism and freedom fanaticism. Here are some of the answers: –

a) War Reparations for Iraq

David Kay the chief of the US appointed, Iraq Survey Group resigns, as he is got bored of the wild goose chase. Collin Powell now grudgingly admits that Iraq never possessed any WMD. However, Tony Blair, Dick Cheney and the other extremists (hawks) are still asserting that the mythical weapons exist somewhere. The spin-doctors have began a rescue operation by creating terms like “WMD programme”, “Saddam had intention to acquire WMD”, and finally “how much better it is without Saddam”. Oh yes, definitely better for the Israelis. It is also better for the US companies to make fat profits. Final category are the puppet regimes that live in palaces with their oversize waistlines and Philippino ‘nurses’, whose tribes are living on imported goods and roaming around shopping centres all day.

The Western intelligentsia are feeling shy to concede that their governments had openly lied. So another rescue operation has been launched, blaming the intelligence services. The way it looks, there was zero intelligence in the first place, which became manipulated intelligence with a bit of massaging from the likes of Alistair Campbell. Finally it became the official gospel, with the prayers of Saint Tony Blair and born again Bush. The former is behaving in manner as if he is in recipient of divine revelation, no wonder Robin Cook correctly stated that he is driven by “evangelical certainty”.

Surely, a nation attack without provocation, without UN authorisation and now, even the stated pretext has been proven to be false, is entitled to War reparations. Now that would be a real evidence of the legitimacy of international ‘law’.

b) Liberation

Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and all the other Arab/Muslim country is need of liberation from the US bases and all the puppets and cronies that govern the region. The question of the border disputes inherited form the colonialists have to be settled by the Arab/Muslim nations without any external interference. True liberation emanates from within a nation not through a foreign army. If the West truly believes in democracy as they purport, then they should demonstrate this by allowing the Arab/Muslim world to determine their own fate. If they want to impose the Sharia Laws or if they want to bring back the Islamic State (Khilafah), that is their business. Just non-Interference would give the US immense respect from the Arab/Muslim world.

c) Justice

Finally, justice is required for the victims of the Israeli and American aggression in the region. Whatever political ‘settlement’ is reached in Palestine will not address the crimes that began in 1948. Solution will be a temporary one and never permanent. It was Europe that has been the real cause of the suffering of the Jews and thus, it is they who should carry the burden of giving them a homeland.

The victims of the illegal war on Iraq and Afghanistan are nameless and faceless. A figure that the US is not interested in, and no one really knows. When they are occasionally compensated they get pennies whilst the victims of Lockerbie got millions. Isn’t all human life worth the same value?

The US should release all the captives in Guantanamo Bay and Bagram Air base as they are being held without the due process of law. They should be compensated along with the families of those who have been tortured and executed to date.

Conclusion

The continuation of playing the role of the Godfathers of Western ‘democracy’, and constantly legitimising Israeli aggression will only make the situation worse. The Arab/Muslim world has their own values, and democracy dictates that they should be allowed to adopt what ever they see fit. It is not for the US to lecture or dictate to the Arab/Muslim world into something that she herself does not practice fully.

If the US pursued in giving justice, facilitated true liberation of the Arab/Muslim world and provided war reparations, the anger, hatred and the retaliatory strikes, which she conveniently calls terrorism would certainly diminish. Otherwise it would be to the detriment of everyone, except those who have vested interests in expanding the current conflict. Just examine the main beneficiaries.

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